Some agencies get large on leisure

While Power List agencies are
typically corporate heavy-hit-ters, a dozen or so of the top
agencies reported selling more
leisure than business travel.
Others may have done so but did not break
down those figures in the Power List survey
responses.

Many of the Power List’s biggest leisure
agencies are Internet sellers: Expedia (No.
3), Travelocity (No. 6), Orbitz (No. 7) and
Priceline (No. 9). Others are agencies that
have simply opted to concentrate on selling
vacations. Other leisure agencies operate in
a niche market: For example, STA Travel, No.
12, specializes in the student market; AAA,
at No. 8, is an association of independent
clubs .

“We have chosen to focus on the frequent
leisure traveler as our core market,” said Tom
Rusin, president and CEO, North America of
Travelers Advantage, No. 19 on the Power
List. “What we have been seeing for the past
25 years is that consumers want comfort,
and our travel club solution gives them the
comfort of putting their money with a financial institution.”

Travelers Advantage is a subsidiary of Affinion, a company that offers membership and
loyalty programs in many industries. Consumers pay an average annual fee of $119
to join Travelers Advantage. “Our business
model is to save a typical member the annual fee in one vacation,” Rusin said.

Travelers Advantage does get requests
to handle corporate customers, but rather
than branch out to corporate business, said
Rusin, the company is seeking to build “
underserved” leisure markets like the Hispanic
market.

Rusin said travelers will always want a hu-

man element. “I look at the advertising from
Expedia and Travelocity, and they push the
fact that there is a human element. You see
their ads featuring travelers with a problem
who call. We tell people you can call before
there is a problem.”

A number of corporate agencies, meanwhile, continue to look for ways to expand
their leisure offerings.

For example, Altour, No. 20 on the Power
List, is launching AltourFrance.com and AltourFamily.com and will be expanding a consumer travel show program.

At the Travel Authority, No. 30, the agency’s
Enhanced Employee Travel Club is a program available to corporate clients and their
employees for assistance with leisure travel.
Participants receive discounts that are available to the Travel Authority as well as American Express affiliates.

The following are Power List agencies that
reported or are believed to be selling more
leisure than business: